My Travels – Part 2

When I was 16yrs Old, gosh! that was quite a long time back and just typing the number out seems so hard *chuckles* Anyway looking back I must say we are so lucky to have a courageous and loving Mom who brought us on her own to California USA! And Free & Easy too mind you! I think it was during the year end school holidays. Dad had to work, so Mom decided to brave it on her own together with us. The trip was fully sponsored by Dad when one of the insurance policies matured. Okay as this happened so long ago, let me just go through the highlights of our adventure which made it so memorable for me.

For starters it was arriving at the airport with no clue where we were going to stay. Mom did panic a little, so I took charge looking around the terminal for accommodation. We managed to find a Motel and so headed there. Sheesh! then we heard gunshots in the wee hours of the morning, well the very next day after a hearty breakfast we took the first greyhound coach we could get and headed to Downey City where Mom’s cousin was staying.

Then there was the picnic at the beaches…Woo hoo! I just loved to watch the real life L.A. babes in bikinis and the ‘Fluffer Nutter’ sandwiches. Here I was literally ‘California Dreaming Come True’. Erm Ok which do you want to know more about first? The babes or the Fluffer Nutter? I’m guessing the latter…hee hee SO…the sandwich is actually made up of two slices of white bread, marshmallow creme and peanut butter. There you have it! Oh and the babes, yup what you see on Baywatch etc. is true…these sort of babes actually do exists. One such babe still haunts my memory to this very day, and she wasn’t even a wearing a bikini!…….oops what I mean is that she was wearing a shimmering black one piece halter top with sexy cuts at the sides. And ran in my direction to retrieve the beach volleyball she was playing with her friends. Yowza! Moving on….now…..erm oh yes the sea water was icy cold as it was close to the winter season, I wanted to try surfing but didn’t have a board or the time to take it up. So I got to Boogie Board instead which is a way smaller surf-like board which you glide on instead of stand on. Fun! Fun! Fun!….and Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Cos when I hit the showers, the skin on my nipples were scrapped off with all the earlier action and I didn’t even realise it as the waters were icy cold and had numbed them.

Weekends was fun too, because I remember cruising to garage sales listening to a very very cool DJ ‘Wolfman Jack’ on KRLA with his signature howl. Even tried my hand at Metal Detecting and brought back one. There there was the Orange County Auto show with all the amazing cars and Oh yeah actually seeing some cars with ‘bras‘ for the first time. Of course we did the fun touristy stuff like going to Disneyland, Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry farm and had heap loads of fun. Then there was Sea World with Shamu the whale, China town, and the Hollywood walk of fame. San Francisco was a sight to behold, from the Golden Gate bridge, cable cars and Fisherman’s Wharf. Loved the fresh seafood, clam chowder and toffee apples…Yummy!

We stayed there for more than a month, just before boarding the plane on the way back home. I remember going into a book store and grabbing a couple of Playboy Mags to show my friends back home. The Store clerk looked at me and asked if I was a minor. I was baffled, I mean what was a ‘minor’? I was a senior enough I thought, anyhow she later explained that I had to be 18 at least to purchase them. Mom came to the rescue and paid for them *blush* and she didn’t even say anything about it afterwards. Now how cool is that??? Anyhow after touching down at the airport I remember distinctly that I could hardly breathe. The air was so humid compared to the states, and it took a while to get adjusted.

Thanks Mom & Dad!

My Travels – Part 1

As far back as I can remember I’ve loved to travel, however with limited resources and time I dare say I’ve been fortunate enough to manage decent enough adventures. Instead of referring to photographs, I’ve decided to recall my travels solely from memory.

It all started with Dad bringing us to Malaysia frequently by car and train. Why? Because Dad being Malaysian born, had left majority of his brothers and sisters behind to start life here in Singapore. Hence we would go visiting, I think at least twice a year during the school holidays. The train rides were long but fun, to this very day I can still make the sounds of the train on the move. Then there were the interesting sights from the train, the rice plantations, cows and villages to the many palm oil trees. Places we visited frequently in Malaysia were the towns of Malacca, Ipoh and Penang. However there were a few smaller towns we visited too, from time to time. I suppose Penang brings back the most memories for me, from hiking up Penang hill, to going through the snake like shopping areas at Ayer Itam up to the majestic Buddhist temple. The Burmese temple and Snake temple, and the famous food paradise at Gurney drive. Yes of course, there were other note worthy mentions like Cameron highlands, Genting Highlands, the waterfalls at Kota Tinggi, Batu Ferringhi and snorkeling in Langkawi. But eye openers for me was a small town called Cangkat in butterworth and a small fishing village/town Kuala Kurau in Perak. The latter was the first time I experienced Kampong life if you will, on top a floating house. The toilet was a shelter with hole in the floor, below that was the river where catfish was in abundance. Oh Yeah and that was where I learned to catch them and remove their whiskers and stingers…erm I meant going out on a small boat to fish that is……what did you think??

to be cont’d….

Missing You – John Waite

Something about this song always gives me goosebumps…..

Every time I think of you,
I always catch my breath
And I’m still standing here,
and you’re miles away
And I’m wonderin’ why you left
And there’s a storm that’s raging
through my frozen heart Tonight

I hear your name in certain circles,
and it always makes me Smile
I spend my time thinkin’ about you,
and it’s almost driving Me wild
And there’s a heart that’s breaking
down this long distance Line tonight

I ain’t missing you at all since you’ve been gone away
I ain’t missing you, no matter what I might say

There’s a message in the wire,
and I’m sending you this Signal tonight
You don’t know how desperate I’ve become
And it looks like I’m losing this fight
In your world I have no meaning,
though I’m trying hard to Understand
And it’s my heart that’s breaking
down this long distance Line tonight

I ain’t missing you at all Since you’ve been gone away
I ain’t missing you, No matter what my friends say

And there’s a message that I’m sending out,
Like a telegraph to your soul
And if I can’t bridge this distance,
Stop this heartbreak Overload
I ain’t missing you,
I ain’t missing you,
I can lie to Myself

And there’s a storm
That’s raging through my frozen heart
Tonight

Tears

A pang shot through my very being today,
Windows of my soul saw warm pouring rain,
Pray time takes this burden swiftly away,
No more! Will my spirit ever be slain,

Truth whispered but I chose not to listen,
Played the fool too well and thus became one,
Cheers to new beginnings I doth christen,
Memories! No more words, deeds to be done!

Julian T.

Laugh Or Cry? – When A Cartoon Is Viewed As Such….

Well everyone is entitled to their own point of view, but isn’t this a little ludicrous? To me it is just for a good laugh!

The Smurfs Were Communists!
By Dave Morgan

Okay, I know it sounds crazy. I didn’t believe it myself at first. Then I started thinking about it, and it starts getting scary.First of all, you must put aside all the media-programmed, propaganda-driven thoughts or irrational fears you might already have about communists. Forget all that big bad Russian stuff that the 80’s taught us, that doesn’t exist anymore. Think of communism as just a way of life, a social order, an economic standpoint, a lifestyle choice. Take all the visions of sickles and hammers and tanks out of your head for awhile, and then you will be able to see it clearly.

First of all, the Smurfs shared everything. The food in the Smurf village was stored away in those mushrooms the minute it was harvested and then equally distributed to all the Smurfs throughout the year. No one “farmer Smurf” sold his crop to a “consumer Smurf,” or saw his labor exploited by another. It was understood that the crop was for the entire Smurf population, not for the sale or profit of one Smurf alone.Then there were those jobs each Smurf held. There was Handy Smurf, and Painter Smurf, and Brainy Smurf, etc… Each Smurf had his own specific job and was not allowed to try his hand at any other Smurf’s assigned task. There actually was an episode where each Smurf tried to do another one’s job, and failed. The moral of the story was apparently “Stick to what you do Best” or to put it another way, stick to what the society has chosen for you, or maybe just “You’ll get what you get and like it!” Handy Smurf was always building. Painter Smurf was always painting. Everyone accepted what they were and didn’t ask questions. Some other evidence I’ve gathered may strain the limits of credibility. Decide for yourself: Papa Smurf wore a red cap. All the Smurfs were the same color and sang the same song everywhere they went – stressing their Smurfy unity. Didn’t you catch yourself singing that song as a kid? I know you did. Everyone did. Everyone.

The most compelling evidence that the Smurfs were communists comes from their relationship to the arch-villian Gargamel. If you remember, the only thing that Gargamel wanted the Smurfs for was for his own profit. In the first four or five seasons, Gargamel’s master plan was to catch the Smurfs, boil them, and turn them into gold. For some reason, in the later years when the show was dying, they started saying that he wanted to eat the poor blue creatures, but for the most part he wanted to turn them into gold. He didn’t care about the Smurfs themselves, their culture, or their well-being. All he cared about was getting gold. His only interest in how to get rich, and nothing, nothing would get in his way.Gargamel was a capitalist.The evil antagonist of the Smurfs was the ultimate capitalist, terrorizing the peaceful good little communist Smurf community. It all starts to fit together doesn’t it?It makes you wonder why somebody didn’t speak up about this before, especially during the 80’s with Reagan in the WhitehouseI guess nobody thought it worth their time.

Peace Koi

Trip To The Zoo

Nature Brings Me Peace & Tranquility

My Homemade Pasta

 

• Sea Shell Shaped Pasta ( Conchiglioni or Cocciolette )
• 1 to 2 cups of Red wine
• Italian Sausages
• Minced Beef
• Sliced Tomatoes
• Tomato Puree
• Sliced Button Mushrooms
• Italian Spices
• Fresh Celery
• Packet Of Chicken Stock
• Parmesan Cheese

Best Of My Love – Eagles

An all time favorite returns…..

Every night I’m lyin’ in bed
Holdin’ you close in my dreams
Thinkin’ about all the things that we said
And comin’ apart at the seams
We try to talk it over
But the words come out too rough
I know you were tryin’
To give me the best of your love

Beautiful faces and loud, empty places
Look at the way that we live
Wastin’ our time on cheap talk and wine
Left us so little to give
That same old crowd
Was like a cold dark cloud
That we could never rise above
But here in my heart I give you the best of my love
Oh sweet darlin’ you get the best of my love, oh
Sweet darlin’, you get the best of my love

I’m goin’ back in time
And it’s a sweet dream
It was a quiet night
And I would be all right
If I could go on sleepin’
But every mornin’
I wake up and worry
What’s gonna happen today
You see it your way
And I see it mine
But we both see it slippin’ away

You know we always had each other baby
I guess that wasn’t enough
Oh, but here in my heart
I give you the best of my love
Oh, sweet darlin’
You get the best of my love
Oh, sweet darlin’
You get the best of my love
Every night and day,
You get the best of my love
Oh, sweet darlin’ you get the best of my love
Oh, sweet darlin’ you get the best of my love..

non récompensé

If You Think Your Life Is Bad, Think Again!

Have you gone through periods in your life where things seem desperate, hopeless, even excruciating? Or just felt lost as to what was the meaning of your life and to what end? Well things may not be as bad as they seem besides it is in such rare moments, that we discover our true mettle.

Funny how the song the “Let it be” by the Beatles always comes to my mind when I am faced with such difficulty. It soothes and comforts me, and helps open my eyes to the possibility that my burdens are not as heavy as I made them out to be. I might even start to realize that others may be going through far worse, some have not only survived but have become inspirations for yet others.

Can you imagine what their lives are like? So if you think your life is bad, think again!

• A sole breadwinner losing his job
• A toddler losing both parents in a car accident
• Living in fear in a country at war
• Life as a sex slave
• An elderly person losing his/her senses and physical abilities
• A handicap’s life
• Living in constant poverty hoping and praying for the next meal
• Cancer patient fighting for his/her life

And the lists goes on………

Love Is Patient, Love Is Kind

 Whilst this is extracted from the Bible, I think the message it conveys transcends any religious beliefs.

1 Corinthians 13

¹ If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

³ If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

⁵ It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

¹⁰ but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

¹² Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

 

*Updated 22 Jan*Click Here To Download A Poster I Created For You….